Week One for dance done and blog post for class

Dance week one ... summary ... tired :) My week was spent driving from the North end to Lambeth Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It just occurred to me that I might not have explained the type of dance my son does. Kian does ballet, jazz, hip hop and break dancing at Elan Dance Arts.




 I accomplished something I was proud of I dropped my son at dance at 4pm and left him til 8pm. In the past I have generally hung around the studio in case he needs anything. He is getting close to 10 years old and now that he is on the comp team I am determined to teach him to fend for himself. He needs to become more independent and responsible for himself. Yes, I am saying that to myself more than to him lol. On Saturday he had an hour break between classes so we bought him a gift card so that he could purchase lunch at Subway by himself. When I picked him up he admitted he was scared at first when he went to buy lunch but I think he was proud of himself for doing it alone. I was proud too ... crazy the things that make you proud.

The one thing I really want to be sure to avoid this first year of competitive dance is that I NEVER want to be a dance mom. Those ladies on that TLC show are nuts. Even the cheer moms are crazy. I don’t want to live through my son ... I grew up dancing professionally so I have already lived the life he is starting. I just want him to be happy and do something he enjoys. I still remember what it was like to grow up in a dance studio ... I wouldn’t change that for anything.


For my class this week’s blog needs to touch on the impact structure has on the marketing function and how structure impacts the culture and operations. I feel like I am in a Greek class and I don’t speak the language. Please bear with me as I work through the assignment.

I have worked at Western University since I graduated with my degree in 1997. During that time I moved from Administration to a Faculty and then back to Administration where I am now. Each area of the university is unique. Some operate under a hierarchy, others more of a matrix. It also varies depending on the level of job you do within the same area. Managers have a different structure than staff. We have Faculties, Departments, Schools and Administration.

The culture of the office you work in really does determine what you can accomplish in your role. In my current position I have a lot of autonomy but must ultimately report to my manager. When placed on a project team I then also have a project manager to report to. This I find very liberating as you can complete tasks and feel like you have accomplished something. If I think we can make a difference to even one student I now have the ability to try to make that change. In a previous faculty position it was completely different. We all reported to the dean of the faculty. We couldn’t make decisions on our own just make recommendations to the dean. This was very constraining and made day to day work frustrating. I understand why faculties are different from administration each has a reason for the structure they operate under.

Marketing has become something that all areas of the university are involved in. From our viewbooks to our twitter, facebook & reddit accounts we have all become involved in getting Western University out there to potential new students.